Outsourced Chief Investment Officer Strategies

A Complete, Cost-Effective and Customized Approach for Your Total Portfolio

Institutional investors are facing heightened challenges of increased complexity and constrained resources in their investment programs. Northern Trust is an outsourcing partner with deep expertise in the design and implementation of sophisticated investment programs and a fiduciary approach to the oversight of those programs.

Our approach leverages a multi-manager practice founded 35 years ago to support institutional demand for a trusted advisor that avoids conflicts of interest by using best-in-class external managers. We’ve developed strategies to meet varied investment objectives, and can do the same for your organization.

After carefully defining your return objective and risk tolerance, we build a customized multi-manager investment program diversified across multiple asset classes, multiple managers and multiple styles. All combined with continuous investment management evaluation for your entire portfolio. The result is a comprehensive investment program that increases the probability of achieving your investment objectives over the long-term, while seeking to minimize your risk and volatility of returns over the short-term.

When it comes to your investments, we offer solutions to meet your needs.As a leading investment manager, trustee and custodian, we provide an integrated suite of investment solutions to meet the planning and administrative goals of retirement plans, foundations, endowments and sophisticated family offices like yours:

Investment policy statement development

Program construction

Asset allocation design (including glidepath development for pensions based on full asset-liability analysis)

Dedicated Client Investment Officer

Full investment committee support including performance reporting

Program monitoring and evaluation

Portfolio rebalancing

Risk management

Investment manager selection, monitoring and replacement

Trust & custody services

Benefit payment services

David Lester

David Lester

Vice President

David Lester is a Vice President at Northern Trust Global Advisors. Based in the Toronto office, David leads the asset management sales effort at Northern Trust in Canada. With a focus on providing innovative investment and outsourcing solutions to the marketplace, David will be working closely with pension plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and other institutional investors. David started his investment career in 1996 with a retail mutual fund company. Prior to joining Northern Trust, David spent 12 years at SEI, most recently as the Director of National Accounts where he lead the firm’s institutional sales and marketing efforts.

David has authored a range of articles on pension-related topics in addition to speaking at industry conferences. He is a past chair of the Ontario Regional Council of the Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute and is a member of the Toronto CFA Society.

David holds a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University where he was awarded the British Association Medal for Great Distinction. David graduated from INSEAD in Fontainebleau France with distinction, where he received a Masters Degree in Business Administration.

Insights & Research

Northern Trust Corporation. Head Office: 50 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A. Incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Products and services provided by subsidiaries of Northern Trust Corporation may vary in different markets and are offered in accordance with local regulation. For more information, read our legal and regulatory information about individual market offices.